Robert Ballagh: ‘My cancer is back after 13 years. I'll survive or I won't’

The artist on starting chemotherapy again, ageism, his frustration at finding a venue for his latest exhibition to mark turning 80, and why he still sees Ireland as a failed state

Robert Ballagh on his 80th birthday exhibition

Eithne Shortall

In the catalogue for his latest solo exhibition, Robert Ballagh is described as “a public artist”. It is the perfect summation of a man whose work has been central to Irish life for decades and who has managed the rare feat of being both a living artist and a household name.

Visual arts is sometimes criticised for being elitist. This exclusivity, Ballagh says when we meet for coffee in Dublin city, is by design. “Since the foundation of the state, the forces that have sought to promote and control the visual arts have absolutely followed an elitist’s line,” he says. Yet Ballagh’s work has been seen by the masses.